The first tasting in December is the three JJ McWilliams wines: Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot and the Shiraz Cabernet. The tasting will be from 4-8 pm December 4th at Hillside Liquor Store.
McWilliams winery is one of the oldest wineries in Australia, dating from 1877, and is family-owned and operated. McWilliams has vineyards in several different growing regions in Australia: Riverina, Hunter Valley and Hilltops in New South Wales; Yarra Vally in Victoria; and Coonawarra in South Australia. Some of the vines date back to the 19th century and yield unsurpassed old-vine quality. The grape vines benefit from unique local climate conditions and produce superb varietal grapes, which allows the McWilliams family diversity in their portfolio.
The JJ McWilliams series (stands for John James, who built the family winery at Hanwood) is comprised of three great value, everyday wines.
The Chardonnay is produced from 4 different grape sources: Riverina, Orange, Western Australia and South Eastern Australia. The Chardonnay shows aromas of melon, peach and pineapple which is balanced by the oaky notes of cedar and butterscotch. On the palate, the wine shows peach, citrus, guava and passionfruit, balanced out by a hint of oak.
The Shiraz Cabernet grapes come from the Riverina region. The nose shows intense plums and red berry aromas supported by spice, a hint of oak and some subtle mint. The palate shows flavours of plum, cassis and raspberry with a soft and fleshy palate and soft tannins.
The Cabernet Merlot grapes are also from the Riverina region. The nose on this wine shows blackcurrant and plum aromas with subtle oak. The palate is full of bright blackcurrant and red berry flavours. Soft hints of oak combine with the Cabernet tannins to give this wine a soft texture, gentle tannins and moderate flavour length.
All of these wines represent great-value, and are versatile for food pairing, and also for festive occasions. Why not come in and try them to taste for yourself?
